A competitive first half saw the No. 20-ranked San Diego State water polo team trailing by just one goal, but No. 9 Fresno State pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Aztecs 9-4 to claim a 15-9 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex in a Golden Coast Conference matchup.
Three Aztecs—Sydney Gish, Shannon Murphy, and Claudia Valdes—led the offense with two goals apiece, while Rose Kanemy, Makena Macedo, and Mimi Stoupas each added a goal. Ava Ratajczak, returning to goal for the first time in two weeks, finished with eight saves but conceded 15 goals.
“The biggest thing that we talked about is we played a great first half, but I don’t think it was perfect. We made some mistakes, but we had that energy and intensity and communication to cover that and stay in that battle,” said SDSU head coach Dana Oschner.
“That’s kind of what drifted away from us a little bit in the second half. Those same types of mistakes—we weren’t quite as quick, quite as fast, quite as able to help cover—and that’s where it really got exploited because Fresno is a disciplined team, and they definitely took advantage in that sense,” Oschner added.
The Aztecs opened the game trading goals with Fresno State. Stoupas converted a power-play goal at the 4:57 mark to tie the game at 1-1, and Valdes gave SDSU a 2-1 lead late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs responded immediately, and the game was tied 2-2 entering the second period.
Kanemy’s early goal in the second quarter briefly put SDSU ahead 3-2, but Fresno State quickly equalized and built a 5-3 lead. Gish and Murphy each found the back of the net to tie the game at 5-5 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. However, a late Fresno State goal sent the Aztecs into the break trailing 6-5.
“That first half proves what we talk about all the time—that we 100% are good enough, if not even better than how we played. We can stay with these teams, but the big thing right now is just really locking into the little details and putting four consistent quarters together.” Oschner said. “I think there’s motivation on this team and a hunger. You need moments like the first half to really realize, ‘Oh no, we are just as good. Now, we just have to put it all together.’”
Valdes briefly tied the game 6-6 early in the third quarter, but Fresno State responded immediately, sparking a 9-3 run over the final 12 minutes of play. By the end of the third, the Bulldogs had stretched their lead to 10-6.
Despite Murphy and Macedo scoring in the fourth quarter, SDSU couldn’t close the gap. Gish added the team’s final goal at the 1:18 mark, but Fresno State sealed the game with a late goal to secure the 15-9 win.
“I mean, it just came a lot to our turnovers and our bad passes,” Murphy said. “Our coaches pointed out in the meeting that even just half a foot, like six inches to two inches of a bad pass, can make or break whether that’s a goal or not a goal.”
Murphy added that Fresno State’s depth made an impact.
“We did a pretty good job locking down their best shooters, but their bench players and players that aren’t their top shooters really stepped up,” Murphy said. “ We weren’t expecting them, and they made us pay.”
As the Aztecs look ahead to upcoming conference matchups against LMU and Pacific, the focus is on maintaining momentum.
“We just have to come back to team,” Oschner said. “No one individual wins or loses a water polo game. We work all week on a game plan, and it’s about trusting the process. We’ve done the reps every single day in practice. If we stick to that, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Murphy and Valdes stressed the importance of the next few games for the Aztecs’ standing in the conference.
“Right now, we’re third, and if we beat UOP and Santa Clara next week, we’re definitely ushering ourselves to the third position,” Valdes explained. “Then, depending if we win LMU, it’s a three-way tie with Fresno and LMU, so we’re definitely looking forward to beating LMU and UOP.”
The Aztecs will look to bounce back as they prepare for critical matchups against Pacific next Friday, followed by Santa Clara the next da, which could determine their seeding for the postseason.
“Next week, we have some business to take care of and take UOP out of the equation,” Murphy said.
